Gone but not Forgotten

February 28th, 2007 by dave tilton · No Comments

“Slavin’ Over A Hot Girlle” by Medeas Kitchen

Some CDs, unfortunately, have a way of falling through the proverbial cracks. 2000’s “Slavin’ Over A Hot Girlle” by the Vallejo and neighboring cities’ band Medeas Kitchen is one of them.

The apostrophe-free band name may or may not refer to the woman from ancient Greek myth who created and gave Jason (of “and the Argonauts” fame) magic potions to help him defeat his foe and capture the Golden Fleece of his quest. The music from this band, however, is as golden as the above-mentioned fleece, which they perform on this recording in a way that displays each song not as individual showcases but as the sum of its parts.

The band’s core members are Johnny Gardner and Mick Marsh on g uitars and vocals; J. Edward Epsis on bass, keyboards, and backing vocals; and Dave Lynch (not DAVID Lynch) on drums. Lee Parvin contributes heavily to this recording as “the fifth Medea” on Hammond B-3 organ, piano, and accordion. Doug Chancellor adds percussion and was credited for his work with the band at Soundfarm Recording Studio in Vacaville.

An easy way to describe Medeas Kitchen’s basic sound, although not completely accurate, is to consider Stephen Stills and Neil Young during their Buffalo Springfield period being backed by Booker T. & the MGs: a tight rhythm section, prominent organ sound, and two individual vocalists and guitar soloists leading or co-leading each song. There is also a touch of Stills’s eponymous debut recording with the band Manassas in their sound, particularly (again) the organ work, the fine guitar soloing, and the blending of the vocal styles. Perhaps the Manassas connection is inevitable, given that band’s initial recording including a song titled “Johnny’s Garden” and Medeas Kitchen having a band member named “Johnny Gardner.”

Per both of Medeas Kitchen’s guitarists, Marsh is identifiable by his use of a wahwah pedal, solos containing just enough shredding before it becomes boring or showy, and more tonal distortion than Gardner. Gardner’s guitar tone is somewhat thinner, his solos tend to make their way to the upper end of the fretboard, and have a similarity to Young’s Springfield/early Crazy Horse staccato style. Their voices are distinctive as well: Gardner sings in a huskier, evenly-modulated voice, while Marsh sings like the long-lost twin of Sammy BoDean (this band could have done a killer version of Robbie Robertson’s “Somewhere Down The Crazy River”).

The songs the kind of rock and roll that remembers the “and roll” part of the equation. The band’s signature sound can be traced to a reliance on Gardner’s choppy rhythmic intros, found in songs like “We’re Not Alone,” “Died In Novato,” and “Not Good Enough For Me,” which are followed by the solid counterpunches of Marsh’s guitar and the rhythm section. “Above & Beyond” is the CD’s tour de force: at nearly eight minutes in length, it begins and ends with the sound of ocean waves, moves from a rhythm guitar that brings to mind “I’m Your Captain” by Grand Funk Railroad (whenever I play this particular song, I always expect to hear Mark Farner sing about getting closer to his home during the intro), and ends with a wah-wah stomp chased by more waves. The chorus of “Died in Novato” can fool the ear into thinking Gardner is singing “died in the bottle” instead of “died in Novato,” similar to the Jimi Hendrix “’scuze me while I kiss the sky/kiss this guy” Montegreen from “Purple Haze.”

This band, sad to say, is no longer together. Their website at www.medeaskitchen.com has also vanished into cyperspace.

I was given a cassette copy of the recording by the bass player when it was first released (Disclosure: he is a friend; I know his real name, but will not reveal it or my sources because that is what journalists do.). I listened to it a few times, enjoyed it, saw them perform once (no organ player during the gig, which I missed in the overall sound, but a nice cover of Bob Dylan’s “I Threw It All Away” made up for it), and then forgot about this music for two years.

I eventually decided to listen to the cassette again after that period and was surprised at how much more I liked it. Whether a case of absence making the heart grow fonder or perhaps my mind being much more willing and able to process the contents of their songs, I do not know. I do know I was listening to this cassette daily and sometimes twice a day. I eventually was given a copy of it on CD, which now contained a 12:45 bonus track titled “Spanish Fly” to close the recording.

I still listen to it on a regular basis; not daily, but the CD is on my shelf of heavy rotation music. The funny thing about things falling through the cracks is that there is a place where they land, waiting to be picked up again.